Woody Aki

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Famous he might not be (or want to be), but Woody Aki is one of those unique individuals who has garnered respect within the European underground music scene as a music journalist, historian, DJ, producer, artiste or a bass player with various bands of wildly diverse genres. A self confessed ‘Idiot Savant’, his interest in music back started off at a very early age in his birthplace of Melbourne, Australia. Moving to the Mediterranean island of Malta, he caught the bass playing bug at age 15, gradually carving up a solid reputation as one of the island’s most atypical-sounding bass players in stints with local Punk, Pop-Rock, Reggae and Alternative Rock bands. That culminated in a small but life-changing role as a member of The Voodooclub with mentor, friend and German Alt-Rock maverick Phillip Boa on his 1993 best-selling album “Boaphenia”, and the whole experience set him off with a stronger conviction to spread his wide musical influences over a canvas smeared with genres as assorted as 1970’s Dub Reggae, Punk, Disco, New Wave and beyond. When he lectured it to anyone who listened, it earned him the nickname “The Walking Musical Encyclopaedia”!

Decamping to Germany on an on/off basis between 1994-1996, a 6-month stint in Berlin convinced Woody to materialise his undying fascination with all the forms of electronic music that ruled the home stereos and underground discotheques of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. He fused that with the House sensibilities of the 90’s together with side orders of Jazz, Funk and melodic yet intelligent Techno, forming the duo Bound By Sound together with Konrad Griscti (a.k.a. Gingi) back in Malta. By the time they disbanded 2 years later due to Gingi moving to Australia, Woody had honed his DJ skills whilst coming out with a slew of solo productions on his own and collaborative remixes with personal and musical soulmate Owen Jay. Those releases brought him back to Berlin in 2004, and his appearances at various venues such as Delicious Doughnuts, Schoenwetter and Café Moskau won him the admiration of people such as Modeselektor (BPitch Control), Sven Dohse (Greenman/Shtone Music), Knigge from Crane A.K. (Poker Flat/Force Trax), and the co-founder of the Love Parade himself, Ralf Regitz. It’s safe to assume that Berlin is Woody’s second home and favourite city, and once-yearly stops are not uncommon.

Now based in Waterbeach (UK) after a three year residency with Region 2 in York, Woody is back to producing electronic tracks, releasing his first track after a 5-year hiatus together with Demarkus Lewis on the Batti Batti label, while at the same time still concentrating on entertaining all sorts of left-wing electronic aficionados disillusioned by the sludge of mainstream Dance ‘culture’ with DJ sets full of Italo Disco, various variations of the alternative House spectrum, 1970’s/1980’s Mutant Disco, electronic classics from the last 30 years, old school Hi-NRG from the Gay clubs of yore and a selection of tight, emotional Electro and Techno from times past and present. Woody also intends to continue where he left off in Malta by way of playing occasional nights where a selection of New Wave, Industrial, Power Pop, Northern Soul, Indie, Garage Rock, Psychobilly, loony one-off singles and other forms of intense aural abuse can be heard together with his beloved Ska, Reggae, Dub and Punk records – ‘The Degenerate Soundsystem’. As for his bass playing, Woody is seeking like-minded individuals to create music of any genre after his last stint with Maltese Anarcho-Punks Subculture back in 2007, adding to a colourful equation that adds up to a versatility and respect that very few individuals – famous, successful, both or not – can match.

A dedicated, meticulous and resourceful professional with a career spanning over 25 years in the music and audio industry in various disciplines, applying audio editing, recording procedures/techniques and voiceover production, as well as graphic manipulation, audio syncing, bug fixing and troubleshooting of SCORM-based e-Learning presentations for a global Top 10 localisation provider based in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Audio editing, recording procedures/techniques and voiceover production, as well as graphic manipulation, audio syncing, bug fixing and troubleshooting of SCORM-based e-Learning presentations for a global Top 10 localisation provider based in Cambridge, United Kingdom.

Mar
2005 -
May
2011

Marketing Copywriter / Pure Promotions (Malta)

Content, concept and execution of press releases and biographies for artists and events pertaining to Pure Promotions.

Jun
2010 -
Dec
2010

recording artist / Batti Batti

Recording artist

Sept
2006 -
Aug
2007

Administrator/Coordinator / DJS Trading

• Delivering administrative support in sales and marketing on installation, rental and sale of lighting as well as sound systems for events, conferences etc.• Liaising with the company’s delivery and installation teams to ensure the execution of tasks while tracking the overall project progress.• Liaising with customers and third parties on matters of stock availability, repairs and bookings. • Consultation and recommendation with customers to identify optimum solutions to their audio and visual needs via expert advice and demonstration of relevant equipment.• Management and administration of the company’s showroom and music school.

• Responsible as Project Coordinator for the delivery of a suitable local adaptation of an international event targeted at musicians within the parameters of Red Bull GmbH and their Maltese distributors Logic International.• Providing a full programme of activities within the event itself, overseeing all logistics connected with foreign guest speakers and local lecturers, and the acquisition of audio/visual equipment via third parties needed to optimally ensure their needs whilst maintaining the high standards demanded by the organisers.• Creating posters, press releases and various marketing concepts whilst liaising with connected third parties to ensure wide media exposure in the months leading to the event.• Delivering and maintaining pre and post-event customer enquiries and consultation.

Mar
2002 -
Aug
2005

Editor/Creative Director/Reviewer/Journalist / Dansezee

• Conception of features, direction of general content, proof reading and other editorial duties related to a monthly Maltese music magazine (written in English) with a circulation of approximately 5,000 on an island of 400,000 inhabitants. • Sourcing of general content, news, features and photography.• Liaising with freelance journalists and photographers, event organisers and advertisers to ensure that content is sent whilst deadlines are met.• Album reviews and interviews with artistes of local and international standing.